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The European Union and the United States have made a generous financial pledge to Armenia and reaffirmed their support for itssovereignty, democracy, territorial integrity, and socio-economic resilience.

President of the European Commission,Ursula von der Leyen, EU High Representative/Vice-President,Josep Borrell,Secretary of State of the United States of America,Antony Blinken, USAID AdministratorSamantha Power, and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia,Nikol Pashinyan, met today, April 5, 2024 in Brussels to reaffirm support for Armenia's sovereignty, democracy, territorial integrity, and socio-economic resilience.

A statement issued after the end of the meeting said:

"The European Union and the United States support a stable, peaceful, secure, democratic, and prosperous future for Armenia and the region. In this context, we aim to expand cooperation to strengthen Armenia's resilience, including in key sectors such political reforms, economic development and humanitarian support. We will look to expand our partnerships, for example, in mobility, governance, law enforcement, trade, connectivity, agriculture, energy, and technology. The European Union and the United States envisage stronger cooperation with Armenia to support these key sectors.

The European Union and the United States acknowledged the substantial progress Armenia has made since 2018 on democratic and justice reforms and the fight against corruption, and expressed a commitment to continue partnering with and supporting Armenia as it further strengthens its democracy and the rule of law, in line with our shared values and principles.

The EU will continue to support Armenia on its reform path through the implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). In order to boost reforms and enhance cooperation in all areas, the EU and Armenia will make headway on the new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda.

The United States is committed to helping Armenia and PM Pashinyan carry out envisioned reforms. The Biden Administration, working with the U.S. Congress, plans to provide over $65 million in fiscal year 2023 development assistance to Armenia.

The European Union and the United States welcomed Armenia's commitment to improved connectivity with the outside world, including the Crossroads of Peace initiative, which would promote shared prosperity and regional economic and trade diversification.

The EU and the US intend to provide further assistance to help the country mitigate risks, diversify its trade, and strengthen its economic and institutional resilience.

To underpin the new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda, the EU will put forward a EUR 270 million Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia for the period 2024-2027.

The EU's Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia will aim at building up Armenia's socio-economic resilience, while supporting trade diversification. It will contribute to the long-term needs of displaced people. It will strengthen sectoral cooperation with Armenia, while stepping up support to regulatory alignment to unlock the full potential of the CEPA. The EU will continue to support key sectors from trade diversification, infrastructure development, and energy, to aviation safety.

President Von der Leyenalso referred to the benefits of the Economic and Investment Plan, launched in 2021, which already mobilized over EUR 550 million worth of investments through grants, blending and guarantees in Armenia. In line with the Economic and Investment Plan, the EU's Resilience and Growth Plan will step up support to strategic investments, in particular on connectivity infrastructure in transport, digital and energy, and invest in business development to boost jobs and economic growth. The Economic and Investment Plan has the potential to deliver economic dividends of peace including on regional connectivity, if and when conditions allow. The EU will also look at ways to support mobility.

The United States is working with Armenia in multiple sectors to enhance economic growth and reform, trade diversification and resilience. The United States will work with Armenia to attract further U.S. investment, streamline technology trade opportunities, increase cybersecurity cooperation, and expand technology infrastructure. The United States is committed to Armenia's safe, reliable, and secure energy future and is working to support energy diversification and explore the feasibility of new civil nuclear power options that prioritize the highest nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation standards. The United States is committed to enhancing Armenia's food security as well as facilitating the flow of agricultural products across Armenia's borders.

Recognizing the continuing challenges that Armenia faces in supporting and socially including over 100,000 displaced persons and refugees, the European Union and the United States intend to continue providing support to Armenia in its efforts to provide housing, training, employment opportunities and psycho-social support to those who need it, and to ensure the dignified living conditions of displaced persons.

The EU swiftly mobilised EUR 18 million in humanitarian support and EUR 15 million in budget support since September 2023 to respond to the emergency and socio-economic needs of refugees. This brings the total allocation of humanitarian aid to the affected population to EUR 38,4 million since 2020. The EU stands with Armenia in addressing and supporting the long-term needs of refugees. The EU's Resilience and Growth Plan will also include budget support for the long-term economic and social inclusion of displaced people.

The United States has similarly announced more than $7 million in humanitarian support for displaced persons and refugees since September 2023. This funding brings total U.S. humanitarian assistance to nearly $31 million since September 2020. The U.S. assistance has provided life-saving food assistance, humanitarian protection, and emergency shelter and will continue to respond to the needs of the displaced persons and refugees. The United States will support Armenia's efforts to minimize the strain on public services and infrastructure, and facilitate social cohesion and economic development.

A prosperous, sovereign, and democratic Armenia that develops its own partnerships and freely sets its own course will contribute to regional stability and prosperity.

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EU and US make a generous financial pledge to Armenia as they affirm their support for its sovereignty, democracy ... - commonspace.eu

Brussels, BELGIUM EU and U.S. officials met this week as part of the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council in Brussels and Leuven. The discussion focused on joint actions on AI, including regular dialogues between responsible agencies on AI safety, 6G standards, semiconductors and quantum technologies.

We are encouraged to see that the European Union and the United States are making positive strides in boosting trade, economic security, and digital collaboration.

Todays transatlantic commitment to deepen collaboration on AI is a welcome step in advancing alignment on responsible AI.

In the months to come, we look forward to closer transatlantic engagement for both blocs to strengthen their shared vision and deliver more tangibles for deploying trusted emerging technologies on a global scale. The TTC has an important ongoing role to play.

We welcome progress made this week on aligning standards for 6G that could solidify the future of telecommunications networks as well as cooperation on AI. The details of this AI partnership between the U.S. and EU, particularly on standards, will be key to determining the utility of this dialogue. As TTC participants look to bring their work forward, the ability to find concrete joint solutions to divergent approaches will be what contributes to its durability.

CCIA is an international, not-for-profit trade association representing a broad cross section of communications and technology firms. As an advocate for a thriving European digital economy, CCIA Europe has been actively contributing to EU policy making since 2009. CCIAs Brussels-based team seeks to improve understanding of the industry and share the tech sectors collective expertise, with a view to fostering balanced and well-informed policy making in Europe. For more information, visit: @CCIAeuropeorhttps://ccianet.org/hub/europe.

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CCIA Statement on the Outcome of EU-U.S. Trade & Technology Council - CCIA - Computer and Communications Industry Association

The European Commission told Euronews Next that they expect to propose a European space law sometime in April.

Europe is on the verge of a new frontier with the creation of a possible new space law.

The European Commission is set to adopt a European Space Law (EUSL) sometime this month, a Commission spokesperson told Euronews Next.

The law, if passed, would regulate the ongoing developments in space, including traffic management, sustainability and cybersecurity.

Euronews Next takes a look at why this law is being proposed and what could be coming in the draft.

The European Commission has been working towards a space law for years.

The European Union started in 2021 with the launch of the EU Space Programme, a grouping together Europes many projects in space, including Copernicus, the Earth observation programme, and Galileo, Europes solution for GPS navigation from space.

In 2022, the bloc got even more involved in space. Early in the year, it recognised that space is a strategic domain and, in tandem, developed a strategic compass called the EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence to defend the continents interests in space before 2030.

The strategy mentions for the first time the possibility of an EU space law to "provide a common framework" between countries.

At the same time, a group of European space ministers adopted conclusions about an approach to space traffic management, a policy issue that they describe as a priority because of the amount of debris in space.

The European Council estimates that more than one million pieces of debris are currently orbiting the Earth and that this debris could damage or destroy European satellites currently in operation.

The creation of the space programme IRIS2 means there will be hundreds more European satellites going into orbit in the next few years.

Developing an EU space law was also included in Commission President Ursula von der Leyens priorities for 2024.

The raison d'tre of the EU space law is to create a "true single market" for space, according to Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market.

There are 11 European countries with national space laws, including Belgium, France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, according to the European Space Agency.

Breton said these "diverse" national laws are a "fragmented approach [that] prevents us from acting as a bloc with the necessary size to matter".

The proposal will work on three pillars: safe satellite traffic to avoid "increasing risk of collisions," protecting the EU infrastructures against cyber attacks and building Europes space sector as an "important enabler of services," according to the Commissions website.

The law could set minimum requirements for all space systems specifically on anti-collision, have regulations around how and when satellites could be taken down from orbit, and could include ways to mitigate cyber security risks.

"[The EU Space Law] is also a matter of security as in the current geopolitical context, the protection of our space system from systemic security risks is a must," Breton added.

On sustainability, the government said in its call for evidence that so far, the European Union does not have a viable way to measure the environmental footprint of space activities, including the emissions produced by space companies.

That means space companies might not be complying with other EU regulations on the environment.

According to a report in Politico, the draft law could include standards to curb light pollution and a label for companies.

None of the regulations that will be put in the new law will "limit EUs innovation and the potential of European startups," according to Breton.

Matija Rencelj, research manager at the European Space Policy Institute, said the new law is welcome so long as it considers what it could add to the laws that individual member states already have.

"There have been comments by Commissioner [Thierry] Breton about the need for a single market space, we need to assess that gap in terms of are we far away from a single European market," Rencelj said.

"What is important for us is to see how a space law can act as a conducive force towards creating new markets".

So far, Rencelj said certain parts of the European space market, like the satellite market, are not fragmented so much as dominated by a single player.

"We are not shying away from the idea that competition should be increased," Rencelj said.

This is a view shared by Eurospace, the trade association of the continents space industry.

In their submission to the Commission, they wrote that the space law should prioritise creating a stable legal framework for the blocs space activities that will, in turn, bring more investment and innovative research to the region.

"Industry expects the future legislative proposal to not risk fragilising its good position on the open markets," their submission reads.

Eurospace proposes that the law give preference to European companies that are looking to operate within the EU zone to protect them from "additional costs" that non-European actors might not have to face if the new law is put in place.

If done correctly, Rencelj said the new space law could be promising for all Europeans.

"Space is a domain where there are a lot of opportunities that still remain to be exploited," he said.

"A new space law can act as an important element that would enable Europe to benefit from all that," he added.

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Europe may soon launch a new space law. What should we expect? - Euronews

The European Union has allocated 150,000 (over 11 million Afghan Afghanis) to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to families affected by the extreme cold temperatures that hit Afghanistan in early March.

This EU funding was channelled through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help deliver vital relief items to around 11,200 people in some of the most affected provinces, including Badghis and Kunduz. They included warm clothes and footwear; multipurpose cash grants to help the most affected people meet their daily basic needs; as well as kits containing menstrual pads, soap, underwear, toothpaste and toothbrush, and other essential hygiene items for women and girls.

The funding is part of the EUs overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the IFRC.

At least 70 people died and more than 14,000 were affected in several high-altitude provinces in Afghanistan that experienced heavy snowfall and extreme cold temperatures since the beginning of March. With temperatures plummeting to as low as minus 33 degrees Celsius, over 70,000 livestock perished, stripping households of their source of income. The snow also damaged nearly 1,500 homes and blocked main traffic roads, making it difficult for people to travel to buy their necessities.

Background

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the European Union provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

The European Union is signatory to a 8 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to small-scale disasters those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit within its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of 8 million.

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European Union support to relief victims of cold wave in Afghanistan - EEAS

Asking to bring to light the issues in which the European Union (EU) will play a crucial role in the next term of 2024-2029, well embark upon the journey back to the start. But in order to do this, I must recollect that before becoming an Member of European Parliament (MEP), I was a public health medical doctor very much focused on a PhD in Sweden, far from imagining that, in addition to being invited to join a shortlist of candidates for the European elections, I would actually be elected in a period of modern history where health has never been more important.

New faces filled the unfamiliar halls of the European Parliament, bringing a sense of optimism and determination to tackle the pressing issues facing the Union. However, the world was blindsided by an unprecedented crisis. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, leaving no corner untouched, and the EU found itself at the epicenter of a battle against an invisible enemy.

In the wake of this crisis, the importance of health skyrocketed from being a mere policy area to the forefront of political agendas. Suddenly, discussions that were once confined to conference rooms and committee meetings were thrust into the spotlight, dominating headlines for several weeks in a row. The pandemic laid bare the vulnerabilities of healthcare systems across the European Union and underscored the critical need for robust, coordinated action to safeguard public health.

And I am proud to say that the EU delivered. The EU4Health programme 2021-2027 represents the largest-ever investment in health by the European Union with over 5.3 billion euros allocated to support various key areas of health and Member States healthcare systems.

Just as I didn't anticipate the journey from public health doctor to MEP, the world did not foresee the seismic shift where health was catapulted to the forefront of our debates

This legislation together with the Regulation on the serious cross-border threats to health and the increased mandates European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), marks the turning point where the EU become more and more pivotal in health, laying the foundations for the construction of the European Health Union.

The focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the biggest burden of disease in the EU, was also brought to the discussion arena. Cancer emerges as a tremendous foe, and with the new Europes Beating Cancer Plan as well as more than 4 billion euros of funds for prevention, early detection, accessibility to treatments and quality of life, the EU is now ready to lead the way. But lets not forget all other NCDs and where the EU can be a game-changer. From cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic diseases to mental health conditions and many others, primordial prevention is our strongest weapon. Our endeavor is to decrease exposure to risk factors and augment protective factors. And considering that social inequities are directly linked to inequities in health, our social welfare plays an important role, as do our cities green spaces, stronger and supporting communities, work-friendly environments that nurture productivity without sacrificing health, quality in the air we breathe and the water we consume, among many other health determinants. These pillars of our modern existence are meaningless, and Id say impossible to reach, without a One Health approach. If we are ambitious enough, we can streamline them faster if we are bold enough to implement a Health in all Policies approach.

However, during this mandate the EU failed to deliver several crucial revisions such as the long-awaited Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and the Tobacco Products and Tobacco Advertising Directives. Similarly, the proposed revisions to the regulation on food information to consumers (FIC) faced hurdles, particularly concerning the harmonisation of mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling, health warnings on harmful food products, and mandatory origin information for all food products. Considering that around 40% of all deaths by cancers are preventable and that these 3 legislative initiatives tackle chemical substances responsible for a great majority of the EU's deadliest types of cancer, one cannot say we are being effective in this battleground.

Looking ahead to the next mandate, there is a pressing need to expedite negotiations on critical directives and regulations pertaining to the pharmaceutical package. These legislative efforts are essential for ensuring the safety, efficacy, and accessibility of medicinal products, thus safeguarding the health and well-being of European citizens in the years to come.

The next European Parliament must take decisive actions monitoring the development of these topics but also in the promotion and participation of public debate on the global fight to antimicrobial resistance, the so much demanded strategy for mental health, initiatives to counter the brain drain and the health workforce crisis, call for a strategic autonomy in the health sector, the achievement of the HIV 95-95-95 targets by 2025 and the fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals target 3.

Just as I didn't anticipate the journey from public health doctor to MEP, the world did not foresee the seismic shift where health was catapulted to the forefront of our debates during this mandate. Whether propelled by unforeseen crises or long-standing challenges, the EU found itself confronting critical moments and was up to the challenge under Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) to address the health needs of its citizens head-on. It's evident that the EU has a lot yet to offer, however, as we dive into the elections from the 6th to the 9th of June, we desperately need political forces in the European Parliament that are unapologetically pro-European and unwaveringly committed to upholding the social rights and well-being of all citizens. Pledges wont be enough to face populism but one can only hope that the collective memory empowers citizens to choose representatives that strive for better health and well-being for all in a true European Health Union.

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A continued focus on health will help to deliver for the people of Europe - The Parliament Magazine